El Lado Del Rio
by Lumira Constance
Summary: The Side of the River They always say that you never miss what you never had. Whoever said it could never be more wrong. You learn to cherish it more when it comes back. JouXSeto yaoi
1. Chapter 1

El Lado Del Río

A blond-haired youth was walking slowly down a crowded sidewalk. Groups of school girls in uniforms chattering happily walked past him. A backpack was slung over his shoulder. His bowed head betrayed the dark feelings that had stolen into his heart. His head lifted slightly, though only to look around and see where he was. His body was in Japan, but his mind and heart were thousands of miles away.

To be exact, 12,689.39 miles away.

This number didn't matter much to him. Only that the person dearest to him was incredibly far from him. Possibly never to come back.

This wasn't the hardest thing to accept for Jounouchi Katsuya. After all, his mother and sister had left him when he was 8. His father died when he was in high school of alcohol poison. He could say that he was relieved that his old man was gone. He could say he didn't have to put up with carrying his dad home from the bar when he drank too much. Or he could say he didn't use his hard-earned money to bail his dad out of jail anymore. But it still hurt that he was gone. The man had been his father. The hardest part was to hear his father whisper, "I'm sorry, Katsuya." That had been his last words before his last breath.

A sudden breeze ruffled his hair and a sigh could be heard from his mouth. The blue sky and golden sun mocked his despair. He glanced at his watch which he had gotten recently. The hands told him that it was about 4:30 in the afternoon.

As he looked up again and saw he had arrived at his destination. It was an apartment building near where his friends lived. The thoughts of his friends lit the young man's face with a smile. That group of people had been his rock. They were his wall to fall on when times were horrendous. Mutou Yugi, Mazaki Anzu, Honda Hiroto. He couldn't ask for better people to care about him.

Jou's weary feet carried him to the second floor. From the stairwell to Apartment 24. Slowly, he pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. The apartment was modest but clean. Cream carpet spread about the living room and the bedroom. Dark wood floored the kitchen and pale green tile the bathroom. The walls were white and the furniture simple. Jou had learned to be meticulous after extensive bugging from his friends. Their reason being that if he could escape the life he did before, why not make sure his environment didn't remind him of the dark and dank apartment he had inhabited with his alcoholic father?

Needless to say, that had been rather convincing.

And so, the apartment was quite clean and stayed this way. Jou found himself doing anything to occupy his mind and keep himself from thinking of _him_.

That had been the most difficult thing for him the day he found out the love of his life was leaving the country, possibly forever. Never had he regretted more restraining himself from speaking his mind as always. Never had he wished that he could have been less afraid and ashamed and more confident. In any case, that person was gone now and Jou was simply left with his friends. On his part, he was simply happy that they would stay by his side. He knew from all they had gone through, their bond was the strongest that could exist.

This lifted his troubled soul a little.

Suddenly remembering it was Friday, Jou recalled that he had promised Yugi he would be at his grandfather's game shop around 6:00 that night for dinner and maybe a duel or two afterward. A small smile appeared on his face as he thought of the spiky-haired teenager. Of his friends, Yugi, he felt, had the most courage, determination and, most importantly, kindness. Yugi was the sort of person you'd give your life for because you knew the world needed him. There was little doubt in Jou's mind that Yugi was his best friend. Except for…_that_ person…

The smile suddenly darkened into a frown; the silence in the apartment was growing to a deafening roar. Jou strode to his bedroom and located a black MP3 player sitting on his desk. It had been a gift from Honda and his family on Jou's 18th birthday. On the MP3 player was all kinds of music. Jou was entirely certain his friends could remember when he had been less…sophisticated. Maybe that was the wrong word to use he mused to himself. In any case, he had matured after his father's death. He could confess all that had happened to him without fear of repercussions.

Honda was the one Jou could relate to the most. The two ran in the same gang during middle school. They were also the two that helped each other straighten out during high school after they met Yugi and Anzu.

As he turned the MP3 player on and glanced through the playlist trying to find something to listen to, his eyes lit upon a compilation of classical music. _Ah…sweet Bach_

The compilation had been from Anzu for his 18th birthday. At first, his nose crinkled at the thought of classical music. It fit him so poorly, what with his street punk image. To his surprise, Anzu had been very sensitive to what pieces she picked. His favorite had to be a Requiem written by…well…he didn't know exactly. He just knew that whenever he listened to it, his soul would soar and he could think of _him_ without pain. Instead, that person would appear in his mind softened with a loving light and smile gracing his lips. Unsurprisingly, this meant also that he listened to the piece nearly every day. Yet, he never could grow tired of it. For Jou, this was a last connection of sorts to his would-have-been lover.

A ringing phone quickly pulled him from his reverie. Jou hurried to the phone, at the same time pulling the headphones from his ears.

"Hello?"

"Jou? Where are you? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago."

Jou glanced at the clock on his wall. It read 6:30. _Shit….I WAS supposed to be there half an hour ago._

"Sorry, Yug. I got caught up in some stuff here. I'll be right ova."

He quickly hung up the phone and ran to his room. Quickly stripping, he pulled a black shirt and jeans from his dresser.

After reappearing in his living room, Jou grabbed a jacket, his keys and headed out the door.

Down the stairs he leapt, jumping three steps at a time and ran off towards Yugi's house.

In his rush, Jou didn't notice a blue Corvette parked a little down the street from his apartment. From the Corvette, a pair of sapphire eyes followed him in his harrowing sprint down the street. The person sitting in the car sighed and softly whispered,

"Katsuya…"

&&&&&&&&

Hey, everyone. This is Ly.

I got a little bored with Camomile Tea so I decided that I'd start a new fic. This is a Jou/Seto pairing. I've been into shounenai for those who don't know. If you don't like it, please don't bother reading and then flaming me, it's a waste of my time and your time.

Thanks, hope you enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Knock, Knock, Knock!

Yugi ran to the front door and it opened to reveal a very out-of-breath Jou.

"There you are! You made us wait!"

"Yeah, Yug, I know. I'm sorry. I didn't miss too much did I?"

Jou grinned widely at the spiky-haired teenager who was smiling back at him.

"Actually, no. Honda just got here. He got off work late."

"Is that right? Man, Honda better be makin' good money. He's always late!"

Yugi sighed. He knew perfectly well that Honda wasn't actually late. Jou knew too actually. Honda had recently met a very pretty girl at his work. After work, they would talk, usually longer than they were supposed to. Honda and Otogi were always chasing skirts. Though the two had been very serious about Shizuka, Jou's little sister. However, Jou's threat of beating them within an inch of their life if they hurt her plus the fact that she was totally oblivious to their attentions made them think differently of attempting to claim her would-be affections. They decided ultimately that being her friends would be perfectly alright.

"Well, anyways, come in. Make yourself comfortable. We should start dinner soon."

Jou nodded and reached to pull off his shoes. Afterward, he meandered to the living room before sinking into one of the sofas.

"Jou! Hey!"

He looked up to see Anzu waving towards him from the entry to the dining room. She strode over and sat down next to him.

"So Jou, what made you late?"

"Ah…yeah, I was listening to some music and relaxing at my apartment. I kinda lost track of time."

"Oh, yeah. I do that all the time."

Jou pulled his eyes away from her smiling face. If only she knew; if only they all knew!

But they didn't. Just like how he didn't tell _him_ how he felt, Jou hadn't told any of his friends either. It didn't seem right almost. To love someone who had wronged your friends in some way seemed very wrong. For that matter, someone who had wronged him as well. Jou sighed again.

"Ne, ne. What's with the sighing? You sound like a love sick girl!"

Jou's head snapped around to look at Anzu. But his glare softened to a grin when he saw she had been joking. _Geez! I'm gettin' to be such a sap. Of course she doesn't know, she's just joking!_

However, Jou's head snap didn't go unnoticed by Anzu. She smiled at him to hide her quizzical expression. She didn't understand why he had reacted so to her. She had only called him a love sick girl and he reacted as though she had called him something very rude.

"Hey, Jounouchi! Mazaki! Dinner's done!"

A tall, brunette poked his head into the living room. This was, of course, the other of Jou's friends. Honda was the comical relief when Jou was temporarily off duty. But like Anzu and Yugi, Honda was a true friend.

Jou and Anzu stood up and walked to the kitchen where a table ladened with steaming food awaited them.

"Yug! This looks great! Thanks for the food!"

Yugi blushed and pointed at his grandfather.

"Actually, Grandpa did most of the cooking. I just helped."

Jou brushed it off.

"Whateva, you still invited to your house for dinner and you did help. It matters!"

Yugi just smiled gently at him. But the smile hid a lot. Yugi wasn't involved in many "magical" situations anymore, not since Atem had passed peacefully to the afterlife. He had to admit, he missed that life just a little. These days, he was a little more daring but still the same Yugi. The whole gang was on their last year of high school and soon be to off to college. Yugi knew that Jou was under a lot of stress to keep his decent grades up now. With his father gone, Jou could concentrate his time, energy, and money on college and a future career. But it was quite clear to Yugi that, now, something was definitely wrong.

A small frown darkened his features as he took another bite of his oden. Jou noticed Yugi was being rather quiet when usually the energetic teenager was usually the center of the conversation. He stared regretfully at him, knowing perfectly well that he was the cause of Yugi's distress. Of all his friends, Yugi was the only one Jou might be willing to tell him secret.

"Yugi? You ok? Kinda spacing a bit, man."

It wasn't Jou that spoke but Honda. He too had noticed the taciturn mood of the usually happy boy.

Yugi looked up from his food. "What? Oh, Honda, don't worry I'm fine. Just a little tired from school."

Honda nodded sympathetically.

"Don't I know it? The teachers are just determined to crush us before we go off to college. Something about preparing us for college. Psht! Yeah, right. I don't believe it. I mean we have lives! What about the people we love and the relationships we have to keep up."

At the mention of relationships, Jou's mood darkened. He had really been hoping to pass the rest of the night undisturbed by any thoughts of that other person. Until that is, Honda mentions loved ones and relationships. Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was about 9:30. Deciding to maybe staying might be a bad idea, he got up.

"Hey Yug? Ya know, I'm more tired than I thought. Is it ok with you guys if I just go home now?"

His friends looked up at him in concern, but Yugi was the first to answer.

"Sure, Jou. It's never a good idea to be sleep deprived. Go home and get plenty of rest. We'll make up the duels another time."

"Sounds good. Thanks Yug, see ya guys later."

With that Jou took his plate and set it in the kitchen sink, then he went to the entrance of the house, pulled on his shoes and hurried into the night towards his apartment.

As he walked, the cool breeze lifted and flowed around him. Jou absentmindedly noted it was blowing in the opposite direction from when he had been walking…well, running to Yugi's house. The fact didn't interest him much. But he kept his eyes towards the pavement. The deep blue sky reminded him way too much of the eyes of a certain someone. God! Why did he have to keep thinking about him?! Jou growled to himself. Some god or higher power somewhere was punishing him for all his evil deeds in life by making him fall in love with his enemy.

Jou paused by a park and decided why the hell not? He was tired but he didn't want to go home. So his feet carried him through the park to the swing set where he slumped into one of the swings. He swung a little and, then, just sat staring at the sky. He couldn't help it, even if it was painful thinking of that person, Jou decided now that to have memories, at all, of that person was good enough.

"Isn't it a little late for dogs to be out staring at the moon?"

Jou froze. His heart started pounding harder than it had before.

Ba-bump.

He turned to see a figure standing on the path closest to the swing set.

Ba-bump

The figure started walking towards him. Every cell in his brain was screaming for him to get up and just go home.

Ba-bump.

The person was now close enough for Jou to see what he was wearing. Every cell in his heart was screaming for him to go and kiss the hell out of that person.

Ba-bump

The person was slowly descending to kneel in front of him. Jou was taken aback. Seto Kaiba never kneels.

Suddenly, sapphire eyes loomed before him and Jou was looking into the face of his beloved. In a small voice, he asked,

"What are you doing here, K-Kaiba?"

Jou couldn't help but cringe at the stutter. But what could he do? He hadn't seen Seto since the day before he left nearly a year ago.

"Hn…I was going to ask you the same thing. I came back. Is that so extraordinary? I wasn't going to leave my brother in Japan all alone forever."

Jou just stared at him. Kaiba slowly rose to his feet. He then looked expectantly at Jou. Jou noticed that Kaiba's mouth was moving but was too busy watching the mesmerizing movements to pay attention to what the brunette was saying.

"Jounouchi? Jounouchi? Jounouchi!"

"W-wha?"

A contemptuous stare. "If you're done day-dreaming, I'm offering to drive you home, mutt."

A glare. "Why? So you can say what a bad neighborhood I live in and mock me?"

Kaiba only stared at him momentarily before turning heel and walking down the path. Jou stared after him for a moment and suddenly made a decision.

"Wait. Fine, I'll take you up on your deal. But your mouth stays shut the whole time."

Kaiba only glanced back at him once and nodding before reaching his car, a blue Corvette. Jou was taken slightly aback by the other boy's reaction. Since when did Kaiba back down from mocking a rival. Once upon a time, Kaiba would have killed to have the chance to scorn how lowly Jou was but something had changed.

Jou strode up the blue Corvette and let out a low whistle.

"Nice car."

"You touch anything and die, dog."

"Fine. Fine."

The ride passed in relatively uncomfortably. Finally they reached Jou's apartment and he got out.

"Thanks Kaiba. You'll be at school tomorrow?"

"Hn, won't matter to you, mutt."

Jou only sighed before waving the CEO away. It wasn't until he got up to his apartment that he realized he never told Kaiba where his apartment was.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Aeroflux: Thanks so much! My family keeps on telling me I write well but I'm not sure if they're serious or are just teasing me…

Chibi-the-small: I like the name…Well, as you can see by this chapter that this isn't a one-shot. Though I did toy with idea of it. But as I wrote, it became apparent I needed more than one chapter. I'm guessing this'll be 8-12 maybe

Pennypigeon: Thanks, please continue reading and reviewing


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sitting motionless in his car, Seto Kaiba watched Jounouchi Katsuya walk up the stairs, turn a corner to go up another flight and disappear. Sighing softly, he ignited the engine and drove away. A year away from Japan seems to have changed nothing. Yet somehow, he knew that coming back had been the right thing to do, after all, Seto Kaiba was never wrong…never.

He knew perfectly well why he'd come back. He had been at Oxford University for barely a month before becoming terribly depressed. He knew it had nothing to do with England or its people, in fact, the people were very nice. They had been surprisingly pleasant and accepted him into their society without much pomp and circumstance. He'd even managed to make several friends who he grew close to.

Anyone who knew Kaiba from the beginning of high school was sure to be surprised. But what no one knew, not even Mokuba, was that Seto secretly wanted so very much to be like everyone else. He wanted to be around others and to be sociable. Even to find someone who he could love and who would love him in return. But after what Gozaburo did to him and his brother, survival instinct took over and it never seemed to go away. That is until he went to England and experience how hospitable people could be. But back to his depression, he knew it wasn't his brother, he made sure to call Mokuba nearly every day. It definitely wasn't the company, he called them every week. He didn't really know…

…alright, that's a lie. Seto knew perfectly well why he was so depressed. He had never really shared with anyone but he found his mood instantly brighten whenever he was around a certain person. Well, one may ask, wasn't it just because he enjoyed teasing and torturing the poor blond? Seto snorted softly to himself. He could tell the world all he wanted that that was the case. In fact, that was what he had been telling himself for years.

But the trip to England cleared his fogged view of himself. He didn't realize how much he needed Katsuya until he was 12,000 miles away from him. The only thing that darkened his mood now was to feel helpless. He hated that feeling of weakness, of not being able to take action, of not know _how_ to take action. After all those years of teasing and mercilessly torturing, Seto was definitely not expecting for Jounouchi to just forgive him. He despaired at the thought of ever getting Jou to love him. It was near impossible, but the encounter at the park earlier had helped a little. The fact that Jou had stared at him so intensely with…well…he didn't know what emotion coupled with how Jou had also taken him up on his offer to drive Jou home, it was enough to convince Seto that maybe he had a chance at it.

Of course, little did Seto know, time had done all the work for him…

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Sunlight and early Sunday morning found Katsuya lying in bed asleep. His chocolate eyes slowly opened to see that he wasn't in his own bedroom. It couldn't have been, seeing as the bed he laid on was amazingly comfortable. The room itself was very contemporary. The lines seen in the furniture were sleek but not uncomfortable. For some odd reason, this didn't bother him much. As his senses slowly returned to him, Katsuya realized that there was a warm body pressed against his back.

He slowly turned over and glimpsed a brunette head before being pulled by a pair of strong arms against the warm body next to him.

"Mmm…don't move, it's too early…"

Katsuya found himself smiling at the comment mumbled by his sleepy companion. That is until, a movement further down made his breath catch in his chest.

Seto was moving closer and the movement was creating a grinding sensation in a certain area. Katsuya let out a small moan. The moan did little other than to cause Seto to continue moving, thus increasing the intensity of the grinding.

Katsuya let out another groan, this time louder.

Seto responded, "Sounds like you're enjoying it…so am I…"

Katsuya let out a strangled gasp, he could hear the smile in Seto's voice.

"You're…a-ah…doin'…nnn…that on…mmm…purpose."

A voice purred silkly, "Mmm…of course I am. Let's just say the enjoyment is definitely mutual. I didn't get enough last night…"

Well, let's just say that got Katsuya's attention rather quickly…

A small moan escaped Jou's lips and his chocolate eyes opened. He blinked several times before realizing he was still in his own bed. _Damnit! That was such a good dream…like it'll eva happen though…_

He rolled over onto his back. This wasn't the first time his dreams of Seto had taken a slightly more adult nature and Jou was just about certain that it wasn't the last.

He felt sad yet glad that Kaiba didn't know about his dreams or his daydreams for that matter. He was sure whatever respect, if any, Kaiba had would vanish the instant he found out about Jou's feelings for him.

Sitting up slowly, he ran his hands through his hair. He glanced at the clock; it read 10:18. He decided that he might as well take his homework out to his favorite park and try to finish it. He got up and went to the dresser opposite of his bed.

He rummaged through the drawers and pulled out a pair of khakis and a blue t-shirt with a dragon emblazoned on the front. For a moment, he stared sadly at the shirt. The color reminded him of Seto's eyes and the dragon was definitely not helping. He wasn't sure what made him buy it last year. Sighing softly, he pulled off his pajamas and pulled on the clothes he chose.

When he was finished getting dressed, he left his bedroom and went into the living room. His black backpack was sitting on the floor by the couch where he had left it yesterday. He picked up the bag and grabbed his iPod on the way out.

By the time his feet found the pavement of the sidewalk, Requiem was flowing around him through the headphones. His feet carried him at a decent pace down the street. It wasn't exactly early but early enough for most teenagers to be in bed still. The majority of people out were people shopping or going to work.

After about fifteen minutes, Jou found himself at his favorite park. It wasn't the one where Seto had found him last night. Part of the reason why Jou really liked this particular park was because it was quiet and secluded. Tall Sakura trees shaded large parts of the park. There weren't any playgrounds so most families didn't come here. The park wasn't particularly popular on Sundays leading back to it being quiet and secluded. But most of all, Jou found that this was the one place he could go where he could be at peace with his thoughts. The only other thing that could do that was the Requiem he was currently listening to.

"I never knew you listened to classical music…"

A breeze softly caressed Jou's hair and cheeks. His warm chocolate eyes slowly drifted along the ground to find a pair of feet. As his gaze slowly drew upward, his eyes found a set of sapphire eyes in a pale, calm face. Seto Kaiba stood before him, observing him with a mixture of curiosity and reservation.

"Uh, yeah. Anzu got me started on it…it's good stuff."

"Indeed…"

Jou continued staring at Seto, their eyes were locked in the stare of the other. Their faces betrayed no emotion yet there was no need; their eyes did all the speaking. Tones of hostility, betrayal, jealousy, and anger were muted by mutual relief though, at present time, the two would never share with the other.

Jou paused, "Wait, how d'you know I was listening to classical music?"

"You were humming. The piece was Requiem, I believe."

Neither had any idea how long they had stayed like that, their eyes locked in an exchange of deep emotion. Neither wanted to open their mouths and reveal their thoughts. Neither wanted their hearts to suffer more damage…

Jou sighed, the animosity between them, which before could send sparks far into the stratosphere, now felt a shadow of what it was. It felt tired, too devoid of energy to continue. It was sad almost, Jou knew or, rather felt, that that animosity was his remaining link to Seto. Once that was lost, he would be nothing to Seto except another being on the planet who lived in the same city as him.

At the same time, he didn't know that Seto was thinking the same thing. The brunette couldn't help but stare on the blond sitting under the tree in front of him. He was positive his memory wasn't faulty yet reality seemed to be deluding him. The Jou he knew was energetic, kind, passionate, and, above all, brave. He never let anything get in the way of fighting for what he thought was right.

Guilt pounded through his veins again. The stranger before bore a likeness to the Jou he knew, though certainly more contained and less enthusiastic. A melancholy sensation washed over him. It would have been better to know that he was the cause of this. At least, then, he could figure out how to fix it. But, again, the feeling of weakness returned. His dearest love was suffering and he couldn't do anything. Worse yet, he couldn't so much as try to comfort him because his damn pride wouldn' t let him confess to Jou.

The breeze and the scent of the sakura blossoms wound themselves around the pair. As Seto caught sight of a blossom drifting to the ground, his heart tightened. He realized he always intended to tell Jou, but for once, his legendary grace and determination had failed him…miserably.

His anger at Jou for making him feel this way and himself for being a coward suddenly surged to the forefront. The flow of emotions between suddenly cut off when Seto's eyes suddenly frosted over and the color deepened the color of the night sky.

"Hn…I'll see you around, pup."

With that, he turned heel and left the park and Jou staring sadly at his retreating back.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The path remained empty long after Seto left the park yet Jou continued staring. He had never had his emotions so twisted around in one day. Absolute belief to doubt to a little certainty only to be completely crushed again. Growling to himself, he tossed his books into his bag and got up. Yet his feet didn't carry him to his own apartment but rather Yugi's home.

He had made a decision, not telling anyone about how he felt had been a terrible idea. He needed to tell someone, so he decided Yugi would be the best idea.

_I just hope he Thanks so much! It's always nice to receive compliments. Hope this chapter was up to par._

Rubisora18117: Well, am I ever thankful that you had a really boring lab to do! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing…even if it was on a whim. Please do continue R&R-ing! And thanks so much for providing some critique as well!

Aeroflux: Yes they do meet again! Though, I daresay it'll be a little bit before they can admit some of their emotions…

Pennypigeon: Hey thanks again for reading

Blank Paper: Hi! Actually I've read three of your fanfics! They were all very good, it's a pleasure for fellow authors to read each other's work. Thanks so much!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

As his slender fingers slid over the keys of his laptop, Seto Kaiba's eyes drifted unfocusedly around the room. He didn't need to look at the screen since his hands were so accustomed to typing. This was proving to be a bit of a problem. In his time at Oxford, he'd discovered a rather disturbing talent of multitasking. Most people would be extremely pleased to discover such a talent, but for Seto, it meant that he could perform almost any task and daydream at the same time. This, of course, meant that one blond in particular would never leave his thoughts again.

He still didn't understand his fascination, obsession and…he hated to say it…love for that boy. As hard as he tried to look at Katsuya through that red lens of hatred, the red would always seep away to a pearlescent, translucent white. And through this window, his…no…not his…Katsuya appeared heavenly, godlike in his magnificence. His honey eyes were matched in brilliancy only by his golden hair, strands of gold caressed by the sun. O, how Seto cursed the Sun, always able to touch where he couldn't.

Seto growled, he was sounding like a lovesick girl spouting pathetic poetry. If there was one thing he wasn't, he was never a lovesick girl. He had to find a way to resolve this, NOW.

Suddenly, he smiled. He could tell the midget or Mutou Yugi, as the short boy was known to the world. Why this occurred to him, he wasn't sure. The boy was trustworthy, if not anything. Seto loathed him with a passion but also grudgingly admired the boy for his determination. Maybe, someday, Seto could ask him to relay the information.

Glancing at the clock on his mahogany desk, he noticed it was just 12:03. Perfect, it would take him less than fifteen minutes to get to Mutou's house.

After snapping his laptop shut, Seto stood up and gracefully stretched upwards. At least, after he told someone, he might be able to get some peace. However, a small voice in his heart whispered that he'd never be satisfied telling anyone but Katsuya. But the voice was quickly quashed by Seto's pride. Or was it fear?

&&&&&&&&&&&

After about a 10 minute walk, Jou found himself outside of the Kame Game Shop. This had to be one of his favorite places in the world. It held so many wonderful memories of time spent with his friends.

The bell on the door tinkled as he entered. At the counter was an elderly man with hair similar to Yugi's, though now a steely grey.

"Jou! It's good to see you. You left your friends rather distraught when you rushed off the other night."

"Uh, yeah. Sorry 'bout that. I had a lotta stuff on my mind."

"Well, Yugi is upstairs in his room. Go right up."

"Thanks, Mutou-san."

Jou preceded towards a door behind the counter. This door connected the shop front to the comfy home behind. Through the door, a staircase facing it leads up to the second story. A short hallway connected to staircase; Yugi's room was the door farthest down the hallway by the window. As Jou reached the door, said door opened revealing the person Jou was searching out.

"Jou! What's up? What're you doing here? Are you ok? You look tired!"

"Whoa, slow down there, Yug. I'm fine. Though there's something I need to talk to you about."

Yugi's face relaxed as he listened to Jou speak. He had a feeling Jou would want to talk at some point that the other night when he ran away.

"Alright then. Would you rather we stay upstairs or go downstairs?"

"If it's alright with you Yug, I'd rather stay upstairs. This ain't something I really want anyone else knowing besides you."

The last after-thought left Yugi a little puzzled. What could Jou want to tell him and not tell Anzu or Honda about?

"Sure, alright…come in then."

Jou quickly stepped inside Yugi's room after him and snapped the door shut.

"Would you like to sit?" Yugi asked gesturing towards the chair sitting before his desk.

"Yeah, you should probably sit too. This might take a while."

Yugi sank into his bed and crossed his legs. This was starting to worry him more than just a little. Now that he could see Jou plainly with decent light, he noticed that the blond boy looked thinner than before and much more tired. Jou never said anything about sleeping poorly at night, so the reason was likely something more serious. _Well, I guess my questions are about to be answered…I just hope it isn't anything too serious or life-threatening…_

"Ok, Yug. This is gonna sound weird to start out with. What do you think of Kaiba?"

Yugi was taken slightly aback. What did Kaiba have to do with anything? But he answered honestly just the same.

"Well, Jou, I guess I feel a little sorry for him. I don't know completely of his past but I think he was hurt in some way then. Hence, why he's so brusque and seemingly uncaring now. I know he has a lot of pride and I'm not sure that it's all misplaced. He seems really lonely too. I can't imagine that just having his little brother around all the time would be fulfilling his need for society but then again, I'm just speculating."

As Yugi finished, Jou frowned slightly. It wasn't exactly the answer he'd been expecting. Though, it didn't surprise him that Yugi expressed no sentiments of disdain or distrust of the brunette.

"Ok, Yug. I guess I hafta to say brace yourself. It's going to get even weirder."

Yugi's eyes reflected how surprised he was. Jou was not acting like himself at all.

"Yugi…I…I think I might have feelings for him."

"Feelings…as in love?"

Jou blushed. Heat slowly crept up his face and his blush deepened.

"M-maybe." He whispered softly.

Yugi suddenly smiled, "Well, Jou, this isn't as terrible as I would have expected. I thought you were going to tell me you had end-stage cancer or something like that. In any case, I'm glad you told me since now I can try to help you with the problem at hand."

Jou looked up with a surprised face at his friend. This wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting. At all. Yugi looked almost relieved. But then, Jou decided he had underestimated Yugi's compassion for others. Even after all that Kaiba had done to them, he was still willing to forgive.

"So, you don't think I'm weird, Yug? Ya know, for being gay?"

"Of course not, Jou. You're my best friend. No matter who you are, you'll still be my best friend."

Jou was struck by how frankly Yugi spoke. As he watched the smiling boy, his heart lifted slightly out of the shadow it had lived in for so long. Maybe things would be better in the end.

"Jou, if you don't mind me asking. When exactly did this start?"

A pause. "I really can't tell ya, Yug. I just know that after he left, he was all I could think about for a long time. Whenever I thought about him, my heart would start to hurt. When I saw him again-"

"Wait. You saw him? He's back?"

Jou paused again. "Oh yeah, sorry I forgot to mention that. I bumped into him after I left your house the other night. Well, more like he found me but anyways, it was so different when I saw him again. My heart started to pound really hard. I could barely breathe when I looked into his eyes."

Yugi watched as a dreamy expression stole over Jou's face. He looked much calmer than he had in recent weeks. His eyes seemed to glow of their own accord. Suddenly, sunlight broke through the some cloud outside and streamed in through the window. It flowed softly over Jou's face illuminating it. He lost the pallor that seemed to haunt him for a long time. Yugi suddenly realized something. _My god, Jou really does love him and that's why he's in this state because he hasn't seen him for so long!_

This realization on Yugi's part worried him slightly as it meant the possibility of unhappiness for Jou until his last day. After all, it was completely unknown to Yugi of the other boy's sentiments. However he would soon find out as the said brunette was approaching in his blue Corvette.

Seto slowed to a halt in front of the game shop where Yugi and his grandfather lived. He eyed the location warily before getting out of his car and setting the alarm. As he reached the door, he pulled it open and went inside. A bell tinkled from the door as it opened and closed. The elder Mutou looked up from his book and was met by the sight of Kaiba Seto in his shop.

"Seto-kun, what on earth are you doing here?"

Seto merely stared at the elderly man for a few moments before saying simply,

"I need to speak with Yugi."

"Oh I see. He's upstairs in his room. Should I call him down?"

"Ah-…that won't be necessary. I'll go up instead. Which room is his?"

"The last door in the hall next to the window."

"Thank you."

The elder Mutou stared dumbfounded after the brunette. When had that boy ever been polite to him? Then again, from what Yugi had told him, the Kaiba who had viciously defeated him several years ago had matured into a slightly more polite person, though still quite arrogant in his own way. Still, nothing in the elder Mutou's mind could explain why on earth Kaiba Seto would come to his shop on a Sunday to speak with Yugi. What puzzled him more was what Kaiba needed to speak with Yugi about. From what Yugi had told him, Kaiba had been out of the country for nearly a year. Things were becoming quite strange again. Though, Mutou-san had to guess, there were some definitively different reasons this time.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Yugi continued observing Jou after he finished talking. The sunlight that crossed the blond boy's face gave him an inner glow that was quite unique. Yugi had only seen it less than a handful of times. They were mostly when Jou was dueling and doing extremely well. Though it was clear to Yugi that this wasn't a flush of victory but a much stronger emotion.

Abruptly, a soft knock-knock came at his door.

"Come in."

The door slowly opened to reveal a cautious looking Kaiba Seto.

Jou's eyes widen as they set upon the very person he'd just been speaking so amorously about. His blush deepened as Seto's eyes drifted around the room to settle on his. The spark of electricity was instant as a million emotions crossed the short space between them. Seto was too shocked to see Jou there to do anything but simply stare at the blond boy. The way the sunlight poured across his face was…astonishing.

Seto hadn't thought it possible for a human being to look like that.

Though neither had spoken a word, Yugi hadn't missed the instant connection when Seto stepped into the room. As he watched the two settled into simply staring at each other, his worry lifted slightly. The way that Seto's eyes were so intensely locked on Jou's spoke of a changed relationship from before. A very different relationship…

"Ah, Kaiba-san. Sorry, I was just on my way out to run an errand for my grandfather. Jou's staying here, so why don't you keep him company? I'm sure he won't mind! Don't worry, I'll be back later."

With that, Yugi quickly slipped out of the room, but not before throwing Jou a surreptitious wink. Jou could only stare after Yugi shocked. What on earth was he thinking? Leaving Jou in the same room as Kaiba Seto. It's a recipe for disaster. Well, it was before Seto left for another country.

Jou gulped and glanced at Seto from the corner of his eye. Seto's gaze had shifted to outside the window somewhere. Seto's thoughts were a jumble right now. Part of him was screaming to just leave but another part was whispering in his ear to tell Jou how he felt. Currently, the two schools of thought were battling for dominance. The side that wanted to tell Jou was quickly winning though. Seto thought quickly to himself how Yugi had said that Jou _wouldn't_ mind Seto keeping him company. That could mean one of many things, but Seto could only hope it meant what he hoped.

"Jou…Katsuya, I have something I need to tell you that is of utmost importance. If I tell you, will you please promise to keep it a secret? At least until I feel ready to tell others about it?"

Katsuya stared confusedly at Seto. When did a Kaiba say please when he asked for something? Why would Seto confide in him now? What on earth could he have to say that Katsuya needed to keep a secret?

Seeing no other viable choice really, Katsuya nodded the affirmative.

Seto breathed in softly and began.

"You know, I was gone abroad for a year studying. I realized something in that time that has, since, become of incredible importance. What I realized was that there was someone here whom I cared for deeply. Love even..."

Katsuya's breath hitched in his chest and his heart jumped into his throat. _Good god…is he talkin' about me?_ Seto kneeled down again like he did the first time they had met at the park.

"I…I'm talking about you, Katsuya. I don't understand my affection but I don't doubt it either. You have to understand how much effort I'm putting into this, how much trust. I think you can easily remember when what I'm saying right now would have seemed downright impossible. But please, I…I learned that I'm empty without you. I have no joy, no laughter in life without you around. Needless to say, teasing someone else isn't nearly as pleasing as teasing you."

Katsuya could only continue staring at the pair of shimmering sapphire eyes before him. Oh, how rich and vibrant they looked now, filled to the brim with an emotion so strong, it made them glow like the jewels they resembled. He wasn't sure what he could say, would say, wanted to say. It seemed to the gods who had laughed before had also blessed him.

"Katsuya, say something?"

"Seto, I…oh, I never thought this was possi-…"

Suddenly, the edges of his vision began to swim and darken. For some reason, he couldn't hear himself speak anymore and he felt as though he were falling.

The last thing he could remember was being held by a pair of strong, warm arms not unlike those from his dream and a soft, gentle voice whispering his name in his ear. He looked up as the darkness nearly swallowed everything to see soft, worried cerulean eyes looking down at him. Finally, the darkness claimed him entirely and he fell away into nothingness... yeah, the last chapter was kinda short…sorry, I tend to write short chapters but hopefully this chapter is a bit longer

Rubisora18117: Good to know! Thank you again for your compliments and comments!

Aeroflux: Yeah…he tends to get that way when it isn't straightforward as he likes… . …anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Pennypigeon: thanks Thanks for reading! As for them needing to confess…well, we've got 1.5…ish…and plus what's the fun in keeping it short? Drag it out a little and the confession seems even more satisfying…


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